Bring Back My Childhood
by Error 404-chan
Summary: In which an old friend of Sanzo's joins the group. First it was Eien No Kodomo, then Reunited, and now I believe I've settled on a very revealing title. Revised and re-written, now updated for the first time in 5 years!
1. Chapter One

Hello fellow FFnet-ers! This is your author speaking, back from the dead. Or, rather, back from approximately 5 years of living real life, doing things other than writing fanfiction. 5 years is an awfully long time...I've tried coming back to this story, I really have. Obviously, I've never managed. But I happened to stumble across it today, and I ended up on my old profile page here, and I see the story still has hits. Five years after it was updated. I'm amazed, and a little proud. So, I reread it, and I'm a bit ashamed of my 13/14 year old self. In hindsight, there are some things that I feel could really use some fixing-up. As much as I tried to keep my character from becoming a Mary Sue...I think she still kind of is. Sorry, I'll fix that. The older you get, the more evident it becomes. So that's what I'm here to do. I will be revising this story, and, if I can keep my attention on it for long enough, I will try to add to it. Now that I'm a bit closer in age to our heroine (I'm 19, and she's, what, 21?) it should make a bit more sense...psychologically. Wish me luck. I hope my writing skills have improved since middle school.

Sincerely,

"Error 404-chan"

PS: Reviews to let me know how it's going? Also, this is un-betaed, so there may be a few typos. But I promise my grammar has gotten a lot better in the past 5 years.

PPS: I've changed the character's name. I hope you don't mind, but I'm really done with the whole making up a unique name out of a noun thing. In short, her name was bugging me. Her full name is pronounced "May-ve" and her nickname is pronounced "May". I've spelled it "Mei" so it's written as the Japanese would write that syllable.

Disclaimer: I don't own this series. I only own my rather strange OC.

**Chapter One: In which they meet**

The boys had him surrounded down by the river. One of them whacked Kouryuu, sending him flying into the water. Kouryuu positioned himself so that he wasn't getting his clothes wet but he still looked good and beaten. Maybe then the boys would leave him alone. But alas, they felt it was their duty to shove him on his rear in the cold edge of the river. Suddenly, a voice sounded from up on the top of the hill, drawing their attention away from the shivering figure whose clothes were rapidly soaking up water.

"Oi freaks! Leave him alone!" The voice belonged to a girl. She leapt down the hill, clearing it in two jumps. It looked almost like she was flying. "If you're lookin' for a fight I'd be happy to provide one."

At this, the leader of the boys stepped forward. He gave her a once-over and smirked disdainfully, tilting his head back in arrogance.

"You think a girl like you can stop me?" he challenged. It was true. The girl was probably a head shorter than Kouryuu, and so she was only almost up to the boy's chest. He towered above her, glaring down at her. You could practically see the sparks flying between their eyes. Without warning, the boy shoved her hard, which would have normally pushed someone over. Instead, the girl took the opportunity to jump backwards. She then hopped over him in one swift move, and jabbed a spot on the back of his neck. He fell forward, and lay sprawled out on the ground, unmoving. The rest of the boys stared at her, a horrified look collectively dawning on their faces.

"So, anyone else?" she asked sweetly, feigning innocence. The other boys turned and scrambled up the hill, away from her. She strolled over to the river and offered a hand to Kouryuu. He grabbed and she pulled. She was surprisingly strong for her size, as Kouryuu realized how small she really was. She was several inches shorter than him, yet she was strong enough to pull him out of the river. As he started wringing his clothing out, she burst out suddenly: "Hey, do you wanna to come with me? I know a good place where you can get dried off. The sun shines real bright there. I always go there after swimmin'."

Kouryuu stared at her ruefully. "You call this swimming?" he quipped.

"Well, no, but like I said, you want to dry off, right?"

"...sure."

"Great! I'm Maeve. But everyone calls me Mei. You can call me that if you want."

"My name's Kouryuu."

"Nice to meet ya!"

She led him to a spot near the edge of a cliff, where a big flat boulder sat, on top of a pile of other rocks. She climbed up, careful not to tear the skirt she was wearing. When she got to the top, she lay, sprawled out on the top, staring at the sky. "There's lots of clouds to look at today." She turned and peered down the rock at him. "Whatcha waitin' for? C'mon up!"

Kouryuu scrambled up the pile of rocks, and sat on the opposite side of the boulder from where she was laying. She looked at him and said "You don't have to sit so far away. I don't bite. Usually. Besides, if you sit so close to the edge you'll fall off." Kouryuu didn't say anything, but scooted closer to the middle of the rock. She sat up and looked at him. "Hey, why were those guys bein' so annoyin' anyways?"

"It's because I'm Master Sanzo's favorite student. They're jealous."

She giggled. "You're real modest, ain'tcha?"

He gave her a look. "I'm just stating a fact."

She was unaffected, but gave him a fake hurt look. "To-uchy."

"How old are you, anyway?"

"I'm eight."

_'Smart for her age,'_ He thought."Oh, you're two years younger than me."

"Really? You're ten? You're..." she thought for a second. "Six years younger than _Onii-chan_."

"Who is your brother anyway?"

"Oh! My brother's name is Ryuu. Me 'n him live over that hill over there. I don't got any parents, so he takes care of me."

"Oh..."

"It's not like it's big deal or nothin'. He takes real good care of me, 'n he's real nice," she paused pensively, following the path of a cloud with her eyes for a moment. Then, when the silence seemed to be settling in, she piped up. "Where d'you live?"

Kouryuu gestured toward the temple. "I live there. Koumyou Sanzo is my master. I live with him."

"So you don't got any parents either?"

"No."

"Ooh." There was another pause, shorter this time. "Hey, when you're dried off, ya wanna come over to my house? _Onii-chan_'s working today, and I don't wanna be there alone. That's why I was down by the river before. The house is creepy when empty."

Kouryuu stopped for a minute, trying to figure out what she was asking. "Okay."

After he had dried off, she led him up over the hill, down a dirt path, and up to a house. It was fairly small, but studily built. She grabbed a key from her pocket, and stuck it in the lock. Wriggling it around for a second, she kicked the door a few times and it came open. She walked in, motioning for him to follow. He led him down a short hallway, into a room with a sloping ceiling. She immediately bounded toward the bed, and jumped up on it, and started bouncing up and down. He watched at she bounced up and down a few times, then went to high and whacked her head on the slope, causing bits of plaster to fall down on her head. She brushed the plaster out, unaffected, and sat down on the bed, noticing he was staring at her. She broke into a smile.

"What? I do that everyday. You can sit down if you want." She moved over and made room on the pale blue bedspread, now flecked with bits of plaster. She looked at him as he sat down, then turned to the front again, and blew a few times to move a stubborn bang from in front of her eye. Finally she gave up and grabbed it with her hand and pushed it to the side. After tucking it behind her ear, she turned to Kouryuu, who had been looking at his hands as though they had suddenly turned into tentacles. He had never sat next to a girl before, or been near one, for that matter. There were no women around the monks.

"Hey, what d'you wanna do?" she asked him. He didn't answer, so she thought for a second then sprung up so suddenly, he almost jumped a foot in the air. "I know, I know! How about we go out to the backyard? I have this thing there, I mean I asked _Onii-chan_ to attach some fabric to a frame, and it's fun to bounce on." She sprinted out to the backyard, Kouryuu following a few paces behind. She climbed up onto the makeshift trampoline and started bouncing up and down. As he watched her bounce, he caught glimses of the bright green shorts she was wearing underneath her skirt. She bounced up and down a few times, then stopped and hopped over to the edge. "Are ya gonna come up or am I gonna hafta drag ya?" He gave her a look that said 'touch me and die' and carefully climbed up, minding the edges of the fabric where holes were gaping between it and the frame. He hopped a few times experimentally, and them starting jumping up and down, having a good time. After what seemed like minutes but was probably nearly an hour she slowed down and jumped off, landing a few feet away from the trampoline. Kouryuu followed, sliding off the edge so he wouldn't kill himself trying to jump. She looked at him and said "I'm hungry. Are you?"

He was about to say no, when his stomach betrayed him and growled. She took that as a yes. "C'mon. I'll find something." She ran inside, him still trailing behind. She ran into the kitchen and skidded to a stop in front of the counter, with cupboards above it. In one smooth motion, she grabbed the edge of the countertop and pulled herself up to where she could reach into the cupboard. Kouryuu stared up at the backs of her legs, her green shorts a short distance above him and blushed, turning away. She grabbed a basket from the cupboard, then ducked and she pushed the cupboard door shut, and somehow still managed to get whacked in the head by it. It didn't faze her at all, however, and she hopped off the countertop and skipped over to the door, yanking it open. She turned around, and motioned for the befuddled Kouryuu to follow her. He snapped out of his thoughts and followed her back outside, where she pulled a blue cloth out of the bag, and spread it out on the ground, emptying the basket out on it. Seeing the clueless look on Kouryuu's face she explained "_Onii-chan _knows that I don't cook, and I like to eat outside. So he makes these and I just eat them for lunch. There's about enough for two people, I think." She grabbed a bun from the basket and shoved it in her mouth, her cheeks bulging as she chewed.

"Why do you have so much food in here?" Kouryuu asked.

"Mmm mmm mm mmmm m mmm mmph." she said, with her mouth full, then paused and swallowed, saying again. "Sometimes _Onii-chan_ has to work overnight, so he packs extra so I don't poison myself trying to cook."

Kouryuu looked away again. "Oh."

She ate fast, so he followed her example and they finished in a matter of minutes. Then she shoved the remaining food and the cloth inside the basket again, and pulled it up. She ran back to the house, so quick Kouryuu didn't even attempt to follow, dropped the basket off, then ran back out again, skidding to a stop as was her custom. "Wanna go for a walk? There's this really nice path that way—" she pointed off vaguely to the left, "—that I really wanna go further down, but it's kind of spooky."

He nodded. She thought for a minute then perked up and said. "Let's go down by the river, first. I'll race ya!" she sprinted off. As she ran, Kouryuu weighed the advantages and disadvantages of running after her. Would he degrade himself by trying to catch up to her by running when he had about a one in a million chance of winning, or just walk over and meet her in a minute? He decided on the second option. When he got there, she was hopping up and down, doing a victory dance and singing "I won I won I won!" Maybe the first option would've been better. After all, there was that tiny chance he could've won. But it was too late now. After about three more 'I won!'s she stopped and said "Let's head over to the woods." He followed her, as he had been doing all afternoon. She walked this time, thankfully. As they were walking toward the trees, another group came running towards them from another direction. The other boys almost ran straight by them, until one of them stopped short and the others followed.

"Hey, look it's _Kouryuu_. What're you doing here? Visiting your _girlfriend_?" At this Mei's gaze darkened and her brow furrowed deeply.

"What did you call me?" she hissed.

"Don't concern yourself, little girl. Go home and play with your dollies." he taunted. At this she visibly snapped and was on him in a second, clawing and biting him. He stepped back, trying to throw her off, and finally she jumped off and started pummeling him in the chest, prompting Kouryuu to grab her by the back of the shirt and yank her away.

"Never call me _little_." she spat at the boy once she had a few seconds to calm down. She glared at the other boys with a look that said 'anyone _else_ wanna say anything?' The boys looked at her, disturbed, and went off in the direction they had come from, forgetting about their original destination. She turned to him, and her expression changed to that of a small smile. Kouryuu followed _once again_, as she led the way away from the trees. As they neared the path to the temple Kouryuu said,

"I need to get back to the temple; I still have some chores to do."

She gave a slight laugh. "That's okay. I do too. I better do 'em 'fore _Onii-chan_ gets home...I guess I'll see ya then. Come to my house tomorrow, if ya can. I won't have anythin' else to do but sit and be bored. Besides, like I said…it's spooky in there alone."

"Alright. 'Bye." They turned and went their separate ways.

Many times after that they played at her house. It wasn't until a month after that Kouryuu met her _Onii-chan_. He was as nice as she had said, but whenever he was there he was always hurried, like he had to do something else. Kouryuu guessed that came from having to support himself _and_ his sister.

One day, when they had been friends for about half a year, Mai asked him "Hey, do ya wanna spend the night at my house tomorrow night? We can sleep outside on the bouncy thing!"

He looked at her, wondering what that meant by the invitation, then dismissed those thoughts when he saw the innocent, hopeful look in her eyes. "I'll ask."

When he did ask, the other monks looked at him like he was crazy. Koumyou made that decision, knowing that Kouryuu wouldn't be asking if there was any chance something innappropriate would happen. So later that night, Kouryuu walked to her house carrying a small bag with the things he'd need for the night.

She answered the door when he knocked, wearing a fleece nightgown and pulled him inside, through the house, and out the back door to the trampoline. She had a big pile of blankets on it. When he got there she jumped up and started separating them into two piles. When she finished she laid them out, three in each pile. She pointed to the group topped by a red patchwork quilt. "That's your bed," she said as she jumped and landed on the other pile of quilts. She burrowed under then stuck her head out said "C'mon up."

He climbed up and crawled under two of the blankets on his 'bed,' his head sticking out near the pillow. She did the same and faced him. "Now what..." The sun had been setting, and the darkness was coming quickly, so she reached into a bag and pulled out a flashlight. Holding at a spooky angle she said "And now it's time for sca-ary stories..."

Setting the flashlight on the ground, she started her story...

"Once, in a forest a lot like the one around here, there lived a giant monster that liked to eat little boys. He was 20 feet tall, and as wide as three trees all squished up together. One day, a boy with blond hair and purple eyes wandered into the forest alone, and the monster grabbed him and said 'Raaawr I'mma eat you, little boy!'"

She wiggled her fingers menacingly at him and snarled. Kouryuu raised his eyebrows daintily and sat back on his pile of blankets, feigning distress at her newly-concocted story.

"The boy obviously didn't wanna get eaten, so he said 'Please mister monster, don't eat me, I'm too skinny, I wouldn't make a good meal anyway.' But the monster was still going to eat him. The monster put the boy on the ground, getting some rope to tie him to a tree while he heated up his pot where he cooked people before eating them. But the boy ran away while the monster wasn't looking. As he ran through the forest, he could hear the footsteps of the giant monster chasing after her, getting closer and closer. So he ran faster. He barely got out of the forest before the monster caught him. The monster couldn't leave the forest so he just stopped behind the trees and howled while the boy ran all the way home. He never went in that forest again, but boys kept disappearing after going in there, so he knew the monster still lived there and would catch him if he ever went in again."

She stopped and stared at him seriously. "That's why I don't go in the forest alone. I'm pretty sure there's something like that in there." She seemed so earnest, he didn't have the heard to tell her that he had been in there many times, collecting firewood, and he had met so such creature.

"Do you know any?" she inquired, tilting her head to the left so her hair fell away from her eyes, which were wide open.

He shook his head, and she said. "Okay, then. Guess we should just go to sleep..." she stopped talking, and curled up into a little ball, pulling her covers close to her. "'Night." she drifted off. Leaving Kouryuu to stare at the stars, pondering how quickly she managed to fall asleep after being so awake just a moment before. The stars were beautiful at night. He couldn't see them very well through the window in his room, but out here he could see the whole sky, glittering with stars. It stretched out before him, and he stuck a hand skyward to swipe at a pinprick that was probably millions of miles away. The night air was cold. Retracting his hand, he pulled a quilt up to his chin, and turned sideways to look at his friend. Her hair was spayed around her head like a crooked halo, and her mouth was open, and he could see where she was missing a tooth. He reached over to smooth her hair away from her face, and brushed her cheek by mistake. She made a noise in her sleep, and he pulled his hand back quickly, turning the other way, but she didn't wake up. Sighing to himself in agitation, Kouryuu pulled the blanket over his head, squeezed his eyes closed, and tried to sleep.

He woke late the next morning. He could tell by where the sun was in the sky that it was around eight in the morning. Mei was still sleeping, so he shook her. She turned away from him and murmured "Too early...need more sleep..." He persisted, however, and after three more good shakes she woke up and looked at him. Her hair was sticking up three different ways. Kouryuu suppressed a laugh. She saw him looking at it and quickly flattened it down. She hung herself over the edge of the trampoline and grabbed her bag, pulling out a couple pieces of fruit. Tossing an apple him she said "Here. Breakfast." She dug voraciously into an orange then. When they had both finished, she led the way into the house. She stopped near her bedroom door and turned to Kouryuu. "You can change into my room. I'll change in the bathroom. Just meet me in the kitchen." He smiled. So she did know the rules of propriety, it seemed. Five minutes later, they both met in the kitchen. Mei was dressed in a Chinese style dress, and her short brown hair was neatly brushed, although it still stuck out around her already round face.

As she walked him back to the temple, he promised to come visit again the next day.

And he ended up doing that, and the next day, and the next, and the next, and the next. During these he learned a few things about her. For one, she was very afraid of thunderstorms, and she despised being called little (although this he had already guessed.) She liked singing, and couldn't cook, not even the most basic dish. She had learned about fighting her older brother, who had taught her how to bring down a bigger opponent with just a few well-placed jabs. Unfortunately, because of her size, if someone held onto her, she was stuck. That is, unless she was provoked. Once that happened, she would fly into a blind frenzy and tear away from whatever was holding her down and begin to beat the offender senseless.

Their lives continued on mundanely for sometime, until Kouryuu's life was changed forever in a single day.

_Kouryuu watched in horror as the youkai slashed through, leaving only remains of what was once his beloved master. Shuuei ran in and saw him standing in shock, and quickly dashed over to the boy. The only sentence he could get however was "I couldn't protect him..."_

[This part is completely canon, copied from the book]

"I understand." the high priest said. "So thieves broke into Master Sanzo's room, and slaughtered him for the Seiten Sutra. Is that correct, Kouryuu?"

"It is. My master shielded the Maten Sutra and me with his body, so it remained safe. From what I could see, the burglars appeared to be youkai. "

"They took my master's life and treasured scripture of this temple. This is my responsibility," he clenched his fist tightly.

One of the other monks spoke up. "You think to fool us with those lies? That brat killed Master Sanzo! Check his room for the Seiten Sutra! We all know he's a monster!"

"Watch your mouth! You have no-" Shuuei shot at the monk.

"Forget it, Shuuei." Kouryuu said. "I request permission to leave the temple. I will avenge my master and regain the sutra, even if it costs my life."

"LIAR! He's making up excuses to escape!"

Kouryuu turned and gave the monk a hostile glare.

The high priest decided to intervene. "But Kouryuu, vengeance aside, it's not a sin you should bear alone."

"It's not that. I just want back what's mine."

"What?"

"Master Sanzo called me to him last night. Before he died, he bestowed upon me my official title." He took off the bandage that had been wrapped around his head, revealing the crimson chakra. "Genjo Sanzo. From this day forth, that is my name."

Some of the other monks stood in surprise. "His forehead! He's wearing the chakra!"

"Kouryuu..." Shuuei said.

"I see..." the high priest said. "So this is the Buddha's will?"

"High priest, you can't!"

"This is Koumyou Sanzo's golden crown." he continued, ignoring the previous outburst. "I hereby recognize you as Priest Genjo Sanzo of China, Thirty-first Successor of the Seiten and Maten Sutras."

[End selection from book]

Kouryuu took one last look back at the temple before he left. He had one last detour before he went out to search for the sutra and to avenge his late master's death by _destroying_ those youkai. Heading over the hill, he set off for Mei's house. He had to tell her what had happened, so she didn't get herself in trouble by coming down and looking for him.

As he walked over the hill's crest he was met with a horrible sight. Mei was lying on the ground, still and silent. Blood was spilling out of a line across her chest and arms, right above her heart. The youkai had obviously made another stop in their journey. He quickly turned away from the sight, revolted, and swallowed the lump in his throat. Then, he turned and started on his journey to regain the sutra.


	2. Chapter Two

Okay! Since I'm re-editing this at the ripe old age of 19, the T/PG-13 rating is now no longer for safety. Actually, if I had my choice I'd make it M, but I know what it's like when you're reading a story and the rating is changed and you don't feel like you should be reading something rated M or whatever…so I'll keep it PG-13 for you guys. But be warned, this will be an actual "T" rating – I no longer feel guilty for saying bad words, like I did when I was 13. Nor do I feel guilty describing (tastefully, to stick with the rating) some adult situations. Warnings aside, enjoy this re-edit of the second chapter, and don't forget to review – I've added a lot of stuff! I've also removed a lot of the Japanese. It just seems less necessary now, plus I don't remember half of it. It's been a while.

**Chapter Two : In which they meet again**

_Ten years in the future._

"Maeve! Get over here now!"

"Coming!"

All around her, people were talking. The noise was enough to drive a girl insane in five minutes. That incessant chatter. Mei shook her head fretfully and tucked a straying strand of curled brown hair behind her ear. If she didn't need the money so badly, she would be away from this place in a heartbeat. The slave driver of a manager was known for miles around as one of the meanest employers this side of the river, but what could she do? There weren't many employment opportunities for a self-educated woman of twenty-one.

"MAEVE!"

"Alright, already! I'm comin'!"

_Yeah, when I get the money..._

"Hey, miss, we're ready to order! Miss!"

Mei glanced over to the source of the shout and saw three men and a boy sitting at a table in the corner. The boy was waving his hand frantically to get her attention, his backside floating inches off the chair as he strained for more visibility. She walked over to take their order, her heels clacking on the wood floors and her notepad and pen in hand. As soon as she arrived, the boy started spitting out requests at an alarming speed. After about ten seconds of trying to scribble down the order as fast as he was talking she gave up and held up a hand, stopping him.

"Um..sorry, but could you repeat that, _slower, _please?"

He looked surprised but repeated what he had just said, more slowly this time. She finished taking their order with no trouble after that. She recopied down the scribbles from her first attempt which were, at best, illegible, and headed for the kitchen to drop off their orders, paying little attention to the crowd of the restaurant.

When she returned, she set the food carefully on the table. After setting the plates gently down on the table, she heard a voice coming from a few tables down.

"Hey, little girl, c'mere!"

In a flash, she stiffened and dug her heeled shoes into the paneling of the floor, producing a grinding noise. Her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed at the man who was leering at her and gesturing with one finger for her to approach.

Mei saw red just then. Her legs tensed and she readied herself to charge straight at that misogynistic _bastard_ who was grinning at her, when a hand grabbed at her collar and pulled her back. She turned around and nearly fell to the floor in shock. There was a split second of silence where she worked out the situation, then she turned back toward the man a few tables down and strained against the hand holding her back.

"Lemme go, Kouryuu! I'm gonna get him for that!" she spit out. There would be a tearful reunion in a few moments, surely, but now was not the time for that – she had her dignity to avenge. Reunions be damned, that smug son-of-a-bitch two tables down was _smirking_ at her.

Sanzo didn't move his hand, but understanding was slowly dawning on him. He still didn't let go, instead pulling her back. She stumbled backwards but kept her balance. She turned and gave him her meanest glare then smacked him.

Seeing this, Goku jumped up, ready for a fight, but was stopped by Sanzo holding up his hand. Sanzo held onto the girl's collar for a few more moments until he felt her muscles relax slightly. As soon as his hand was off her collar, she stormed off toward the back room, muttering obscenities under her breath and rubbing at the spot on her collar bone where her shirt collar had dug into the skin. She didn't come out until the group had finished eating, and then she was pushed out by a mean-looking man with a red face and a mustache. Upon reaching their table, she gave them a bright though strained smile, and said simply

"Here's your check! Thank you for dining with us, we hope to see you again." She placed the small folder containing the check in front of Sanzo, and walked away, the angry-looking man shadowing her all the way back while the rest of the diners looked on in amusement.

Sanzo opened the folder to find the check. He took it out and a piece of blue paper hidden underneath it caught his eye. It said simply '_3:00. 43 Front St.'_ in loopy, feminine handwriting.

Gojyo leaned over and looked at the extra piece of paper. He grinned. "Wow, man, you scored!" This was met with a smack upside the head from the irate priest, who pocketed the paper carefully.

A few hours later, they were headed down the main road of the town. The sun was beating down on them, Goku was beginning once again to complain of hunger, and Gojyo was occasionally looking at Sanzo – apparently nonchalant - and snickering. The tension in the car was mounting to unbearable levels by the time they pulled up in front of a small house with the number '43' hanging off rusty nails to the right of the door.

The group tailed Sanzo up to the door, and waited for a moment after he knocked on the door, until a pair of telltale clacking footsteps approached the door, and a latch came open. The door swung open slowly, revealing the figure within. She stared at each of them for a moment before stepping away from the door."

"Come in."

The filed in silently. The room was oppressively quiet for a moment, until Goku's stomach conveniently growled. All eyes turned to him, and he smiled sheepishly. Mei cracked a smile from her position across the room from them.

"I'll go get some food," she said simply and left for the kitchen. When she returned, the group was sitting with varying degrees of comfort on a sofa against one wall. She put a plate with some finger-foods on the small table in front of the sofa, and pushed it in Goku's direction gently.

"Eat up. Sorry it's not much. I only have what I take home from the restaurant."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as Goku started in on the food, then Sanzo, much to the group's surprise, cracked a smile and said

"You still can't cook, can you, Mei?"

She looked at her lap where her hands were folded. "I suppose so. It's good to see you again, Kouryuu."

"Good to see you again, as well," he replied politely. Gojyo was staring at him as though he had grown a second head, and Hakkai was politely studying the room, though it was obvious that he too was listening carefully to the exchange. Another moment passed in silence then Mei heaved a sigh and said

"I suppose you'll be wanting to know a few things."


	3. Chapter Three

I'm afraid I'm cutting a whole part of this chapter. If you've read it before, I'm cutting the whole thing about her having a dragon, because that's really pushing it, and it's completely unnecessary as far as I can tell. As a result, this may be a bit shorter than it originally was, but I'll try to compensate. Also, I've tried to keep some of the original humor in here, but I'm not as slapstick as I was when I was 13. I think I'm going to swap the tags on this thing to "Drama/Humor" instead of the other way around.

**Chapter Three: In which the past is recounted **

"How did you end up here?" Sanzo asked. She looked at him.

"…it's a long story. Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

She quirked a smile. "Do you _really_ want to know?"

He glared back. "Yes."

"Oh, all right." She cleared her throat and tucked the strand of hair once again behind her ear, crossing and uncrossing her legs.

"You already know what happened after you left, right?" She waited for the nod of approval from Sanzo. Seeing it, she continued.

"Well, right before you left – or I'm assuming it was before you left, I'm not really sure, a group of youkai moved through our town, destroying everything they passed. When the approached our house, my _onii-chan _locked me in the bathroom, which was the only room with no windows."

'_I have no idea what's going on. One minute we we're eating dinner, then we heard shouts off in the distance, and Onii-chan picked me up and grabbed the old sword by the fireplace. He hid it by the table, then took me to the bathroom, and locked me inside. He told me to stay in no matter what I heard. What's he talking about? If there's anything coming, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, aren't I? Oh, true, I got slashed at earlier, but I'm still alive, aren't I? Oooh...this is so horrible.'_

_"Argh!"_

_"Onii-chan!" she cried, banging up against the bathroom door in frustration. _

'_Oh no! Onii-chan's in trouble! I gotta help him! But he said to stay in here...what do I do?'_

_She quickly pulled the bolt out of the door and swung it open, ignoring her brother's earlier words. She saw her brother lying on the ground, gushing blood from his abdomen. She ran over to him and knelt down, frantically trying to staunch the flow._

_"Mei-chan, get back in and lock the door...I told you not to come out here...it's too dangerous..." He was clearly struggling to breathe. Something snapped within her and she grabbed the sword from where it lay a few feet away, swinging it blindly at the youkai who had backed off when she came pummeling out of the bathroom. As she swung, she felt a tearing in her side and ripping sensation across her front. One by one, the youkai fell before her as she hacked away in rage. When the last one had fallen, she turned back to her brother, only to see his eyes staring up at the ceiling, unseeing and unblinking. He was gone._

_As she stumbled out the door in the direction of the woods, a drop of rain fell on her nose, but she didn't feel it. She was dripping blood down her front, and her knees were shaking. She staggered over to the rocks at the edge of the cliff and collapsed against the side of them, banging her head on the way down. Before everything went black, she saw the first star of the night glinting faintly above her._

"...I almost died then...But when I woke up again, I was somewhere else. I was alive. Apparently, some monks had heard shouting from our house, and they sent someone after the fighting had died down. They found the trail of blood and followed it." She cracked a sardonic smile. "Lucky me I bleed so bad, huh?"

"I left as soon as I could, because couldn't stand living at home…after all that. I came here, and I've just been doing random jobs to earn money since..." She stopped, her eyes hazy from the memories. Goku, who hadn't heard a word of her story, waved his hand in front of her face, and she jumped up.

"Huh? Wha-? Ah! 24!"

"Sheesh! You're so spacey!" Goku said, grinning.

"Ha, I guess so." She returned the smile. Looking down at the now-empty plate on the table, she commented "Wow! You really are a bottomless pit." She giggled and took the plate away, taking it to the kitchen then coming back.

"So, anything else?" she asked, a hint of a smile once again on her face, thanks to Goku and his bottomless pit of a stomach. No one said anything else, so she said. "Well, if that's done, I know an inn you can stay at. I'd let you all stay here, but I don't exactly have extra space. And I don't think I'd have the food to feed your friend here," she said, motioning to Goku with a sardonic smile once again on her face.

Before the silence could set in again, Hakkai reached over with his hand outstretched and said "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Cho Hakkai."

Gojyo stuck his hand out as well and said, "Sha Gojyo. And this here –" he elbowed Goku roughly, "—is Goku, the bottomless pit. As you've noticed." He flashed her a toothy grin which wavered a little as Sanzo elbowed him even more roughly. "I see you already know his holiness, the great Genjou Sanzo."

His tone didn't have quite the effect on her that he'd hoped, and she turned away toward Sanzo, with her eyes widening. " 'Sanzo?' So you're… Since when?"

"Since I left," he said softly.

"Oh," she replied, subdued. Sanzo almost jumped as she abruptly stood up and walked over to him. Leaning down, she put her arms around his shoulders and rested her head on his left shoulder. He was aware of the other three's eyes glued to him in astonishment, but he was even more aware of the rush of breath that grazed his ear as she whispered "I'm sorry, Kouryuu." His heartbeat quickened, embarrassingly, as she lingered for a moment before pulling back and walking back to her chair. She sat back down and broke into a wide, genuine grin for the first time that afternoon.

"So, do you guys want to see the town?"

Three pairs of wide eyes stared back at her.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four: In which they set off**

_I'm lying in a field of tall grass under a tree. The sun is bright and blinding above me, and I shield my eyes with one hand as birds dart in and out of the branches of the tree above me. Everything's so peaceful, like I could stay here forever…_

SHAKE SHAKE

_Earthquake?_

SHAKE SHAKE

_Ahh! Earthquake!_

SHAKE SHAKE

_The tree's gonna fall down on me and I'll be squished to death and no one will ever find me! It's shaking, oh, I'm gonna die-_

BAM

"Ow! What the—You bastard!" Mei cried, sitting bolt upright and flailing madly.

"Don't call me that," Sanzo growled, looking up toward the doorway where shadows were moving in the room beyond. The morning sun was just beginning to peek through the small window above her bed, and Mei could feel a throbbing headache forming where she had been smacked.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in annoyance.

"Get up," he commanded, standing up straight and brushing his sleeves off.

"Why?" She glared at him irately, leaning back on her hands. It was too early to get up, much less be physically abused by some rogue monk. Not that it was ever the right time for that.

"Because you're coming with us," he stated.

"Why?" She rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn.

"You like living here?" He snorted derisively.

"Uhh..." She stifled another yawn and blinked heavily. A vein popped out visibly on Sanzo's forehead.

"Get ready." He stalked out of the room.

Twenty minutes later and a suitcase heavier, Mei closed the door to house behind her and locked it, pulling on the doorknob a few times for good measure. The blond monk was still standing a few feet away, having supervised her packing and cut the amount that she was bringing in at least half before finally allowing her to close the suitcase. She pocketed the house key she paused for a moment.

"Ko - Sanzo?" She looked up at him with a glint in her eye.

"What?" he asked, bored.

"How did you get into my house?"

"You've kept a key in the same place since you were eight. Under the doormat."

Mei giggled and ran a hand through her hair. "Wow. I should probably stop doing that. It's a wonder no one's broken in before if it's that obvious." Sanzo graced her with a smirk that the rest of the group, who were already sitting cozily in the Jeep, missed.

Mei reclined back against the seat of the Jeep, where she was crammed between Goku and Gojyo. '_It's too early for this...'_

"You mean you're coming along? Wow!" Goku exclaimed. Mei gave him a small smile.

"Welcome to the group…ah…" Hakkai started.

Mei slapped her head "I'm so stupid!"

"Finally she realizes..." Sanzo muttered under his breath with his eyes closed.

"Oh, shut up!" she snapped back. Then, to Hakkai, she said "Sorry about that, I forgot to introduce myself, this whole time! My name's Maeve. Call me Mei, though. Only my old manager called me Maeve," she wrinkled her nose in distaste, "and you saw him."

Hakkai chuckled. "Mei it is, then. Welcome aboard. I hope it's not too cramped in the back, but there's even less room in the front."

"Especially with that damn stingy monk stealing the best seat every time," Gojyo interjected. "Hey, Sanzo_-sama_, how about riding in the back and giving the lady of the car a turn in the front. Not that I'm complaining about the contact, but I think you're being _quite_ rude."

"When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it," was Sanzo's curt reply. He inclined his head and pressed his steepled fingers into his forehead. In the backseat, Mei scooted away from Gojyo slightly, leaning more into Goku, who squirmed further to the side to give her more room. As they stopped at a town square to let a mother and son cross the road, Mei leaned forward toward the passenger seat and muttered

"Are you sure I can't have the front seat? Because –" she was cut off by a low growl from Sanzo, and she sat back down stiffly. Gojyo guffawed loudly.

"Damn, Mister high-and-mighty! Can't even give up your seat for one ride, can you? Maybe she can sit on your lap; would you like that, dirty old man?"

"SHUT UP!" Sanzo roared, and before Gojyo even had time to fully close his mouth, he was staring down the barrel of the little silver revolver. A moment later, Sanzo dropped his hand, turned around and sat down and closed his eyes again. Gojyo, after getting over the shock, couldn't stop a smirk that spread over his face.

"Must've hit a nerve."

Upon reaching the next town, they checked into an inn and, after depositing their belongings in the room, headed downstairs to the bar. The room was mostly empty with only a few patrons sparsely populating the counter. The bartender was a girl of about 25, cleaning glasses. The four ordered a round of drinks, while Mei, not wanting to sit around feeling useless, offered to help cleaning up classes, citing her former work in a restaurant and claiming that she knew the bartender could use some company. They headed into the back room. Gojyo, seeing the not-attractive bartender disappear through the door got up and headed for a table of women sitting in a dark corner of the room. Goku finished his drink in a few gulps, burped loudly, then got up to search for a pre-dinner snack.

Hakkai and Sanzo, left sitting by themselves, sat in silence for quite some time. As Hakkai finished off his drink and set it down he turned to Sanzo and asked in a low voice, "I know we've all been hesitant to ask, but why are we bringing her along?" Sanzo shook his head minutely and looked up at the only member of his party he could stand. Gojyo's laugh could be heard in the background, as well as the high-pitched giggles of the girls from the corner table.

"Call it an impulse decision."

Hakkai grinned, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You don't make impulse decisions, Sanzo."

"Apparently, I do." The subject was closed. They could hear Gojyo's heavy footsteps approaching and, much to Sanzo's displeasure, an arm landed on each of their shoulders and Gojyo's leaned in between them.

"Hey, guys, do me a favor? Keep out of the room for a few hours. Thanks." He winked, and swaggered off with a tall, busty blonde in tow.

Eventually Goku wandered back, having found nothing to eat for free. He sat with the two in the near-silence, which was now punctuated by his growling stomach and mournful sighs.

Just as Sanzo's temper with Goku's whining was drawing short, Mei and the bartender walked out of the back room, chatting amiably and carrying trays stacked with glasses.

Mei set hers down on the bar and leaned against the inside of the counter, still chattering with the waitress. The two men and Goku sat a few feet away, completely ignored. Sanzo's eyes got narrower and narrower as the minutes ticked by. Goku's head dropped to the counter in hunger and exhaustion. Hakkai stared into space, an absent smile on his face, enjoying the time off.

"I'm so hungry," Goku groaned, setting his arms on the countertop. This caught Mei's attention and she turned around, seeing them as though for the first time.

"Oh, wow, I'm sorry! You must be starving. What time is it?" she exclaimed.

"Six-thirty-" Goku moaned.

"You guys could've gone without me – I mean, I could've caught up –" Sanzo directed his fiery glare in her direction, and she hastily added "…I mean, thanks. Thanks for waiting for me. Let's go eat." She said good-bye to the bartender, who thanked her profusely for her help with the glasses.

Gojyo never joined them for the meal, though no one was surprised. Dinner conversation was subdued without Goku and Gojyo's bickering over food. The table had fallen silent until Mei finally asked

"So, where are you guys going, anyway?"

"West," was the one word reply she received.

"That's it? Just 'west'? No specific destination?"

"Just west." Sanzo stated irately.

"Wow. Some journey, then. We're heading to an unidentified location stopping at random towns along the way, just hoping not to run out of food and water?" She tilted her head down and looked up at him.

"Exactly."

"I'm so glad I came along."

"No one forced you to."

"Really? I was under the impression that you practically had me at gunpoint!" she blurted.

"Hardly, and don't start making things up. You're here of your own free will; I didn't drag you out of there by your ankles."

They stared at each other as if having some sort of inside joke. Goku and Hakkai looked at each other in confusion then continued eating. Some things weren't worth intruding upon.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five: In which they clean up**

_The next morning_

CRASH BANG

"Ouch! What the hell -"

"Get up!"

"Why?"

As they argued, a youkai, approximately 7 feet in height, stalked through the door, glaring and flexing his knuckles. "Hand it over."

"Hand _what_ over, you brute?" Mei sputtered. "It's –" she looked at the bedside clock then back at him "—five o'clock in the _morning_, I didn't get to bed until _midnight_ and I need my _fucking beauty sleep!_" She launched herself at him, landing a painful-looking jab between his ribs. As he doubled over slightly, she stumbled back towards a pile of clothing that she had left there the night before. She fumbled through it for a moment until she found what she was looking for. Drawing a short, thin knife from the bottom of the pantleg she pointed it at the youkai and growled "You have five seconds to get out of here before I plant this in your left eye socket."

The youkai, having regained his breath, stepped toward her and held up a clawed fist, baring his teeth. He lunged, but before he could reach her, she jumped off to the side, landing painfully on her right elbow. She hissed and stood, transferring the blade to her left hand. Before the youkai had another chance to run at her, she jumped in his direction and planted the knife at the base of his neck. He turned swiftly, the knife still stuck, and she was thrown toward the door. Taking another step toward her, he shook his head and his sustained growl trailed off. Another second later, he crumpled to the floor.

Mei sat on the floor for a moment, winded, then got up and stuck her shoulder under the collapsed youkai to grope for her knife, which was still sticking out from above his collarbone. She yanked it out with a grunt and placed it on the empty nightstand. She stared at the floor for a moment, still panting, before turning to look at Sanzo, her eyes livid. He was calmly inspecting a bad painting that graced the wall of her room.

"I don't suppose you could've helped…?" she gasped.

"You seemed to be doing fine on your own," he said, turning toward her. He looked her in the eyes for a brief moment then turned away and began walking toward the door. "I'm sure the others heard the noise. If you come with me, I'm sure Hakkai can fix anything the youkai did. Put some clothes on."

She looked down at her stomach and suppressed a laugh. A bra and panties, great. No wonder that great hulk of a youkai hadn't taken her seriously. The panties even had little ice cream cones on them. Very intimidating. A trickle of blood was dripping from a few inches above her belly button where the youkai's claws had grazed her. The puckered red line across her abdomen dwarfed it, and she briefly considered sticking some tissue and tape on the cut and going back to bed, but she knew too well that doing so would only invite trouble later on. Better to take care of it now, before she lost any significant amount of blood; she didn't heal as well as she used to.

Rummaging through the bureau across the room where she had placed a few items of clothing, anticipating a stay longer than one night, she pulled on a loose top and some pants. After pausing for a minute, she walked over to the nightstand and grabbed the knife and wiped it on the edge of her shirt before pocketing it and leaving the room.

She plodded down the hall for a short distance and then, stopping in front of #A3, knocked three times on the dark brown door. It cracked open, revealing Hakkai's left eye, then swung open the rest of the way, as he ushered her in.

"Please, come in," he said, waving her quickly through the door. He peered out into the hall, looking both directions then shut the door quietly behind him. Mei, upon entering the room, realized that there were two youkai shoved off into a corner, unmoving. She raised an eyebrow and looked first at Sanzo, who was smoking in another corner and staring out the window, then to Hakkai, who chuckled nervously and ran a hand through his hair. "I heard you had a similar problem?"

"Uh, yeah. I suppose I did," she responded, unconsciously running a hand over her abdomen. When she pressed the tan fabric against her, droplets of blood leaked through. She looked down. "Oh, crap. My shirt."

Hakkai motioned toward the bed. "If you don't mind, sit on the bed and I can fix you up."

"Actually I –" she started, less sure of this than she had been previously.

"Sit." There was a glint in his eye that she didn't dare disobey. She walked to the bed and sat down obediently, folding her hands on her lap. He knelt on the floor in front of her. "Lift your shirt up, please, so I can get a look." She looked at him skeptically, and he held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "No, trick, I promise. I can't do anything through your shirt. Besides, do you want to get more blood on it?"

She grudgingly pulled the hem of her shirt up to the bottom of her bra, subtly folding her other arm in front of the scar on her abdomen in false modesty. Hakkai pushed a spot to the side of the small wound then there was a small flash of light. He stood and said "You can put your shirt down now. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Sighing, she said "Sure, thanks. If you don't mind, I'm going to go back to my room and try to get the blood out of this shirt before it dried and stains it permanently. Thanks for your help." She strode out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind her as she went. Hakkai ran his hair through his hand again.

"Lively friend you've got there," he told Sanzo, who was still gazing absently through the window where the light was poking above the horizon was visible. Sanzo merely grunted in response. "I suppose it's good though," Hakkai continued good-naturedly, "since we seem to get attacked at every opportunity, hm?"

There was a clunking noise outside and Goku and Gojyo burst into the room. "God_damn_, what is it with these things and the early morning?" Gojyo complained. "Bastards scared my date away."

"Now that I'm up, I'm hungry," Goku added. "Can we go eat? Can we?"

"Quiet!" Sanzo snapped.

"I don't think there's anywhere open yet, Goku," Hakkai said. "It's only 5:15. But if you get all packed up, we can eat as soon as the restaurants open, then get an early start."

Goku jumped up. "Great! I'll go get ready." He flew out of the room, with Gojyo following after he had cast a final withering glance at Hakkai. Sanzo sighed and sat down heavily on his own bed. After a pause, Hakkai headed for the door.

"I suppose I'll go inform Mei of our plans, then." He closed the door softly behind him, leaving Sanzo alone in their small room. Mei answered the door several seconds after he knocked. After she let him in, she returned to the sink where she was soaking her shirt. He had changed into another shirt, similar in style and color, but with some embroidering of vines around the hem. It was a subtle change from her other shirt – she had probably chosen this one on purpose, though he couldn't guess the reason why.

There were bits of red disappearing into the water as she scrubbed the front of the shirt harshly with a bar of soap. The last of the stains were refusing to come out, and her scrubbing got more and more intense until a hand reached out and took the shirt from her. She stepped back and almost ran into Hakkai, who was standing behind her.. He reached out his hand for the soap.

"Maybe I can help. I have been doing the group's laundry for quite a while. There are a few tricks you learn for getting blood out of fabric."

She surrendered the soap to him and stepped out of the way of the sink. He took the shirt and pinched and prodded at it with the soap and bubbles until the remaining red stain began to creep out of the fabric. Mei watched from behind in fascination until it was almost clean. "There is no way that isn't magic," she declared.

Hakkai laughed. "No magic, just a lot of practice. This group has a way of getting in trouble, and they've saddled me with the task of cleaning up after them."

"That hardly seems fair."

"How so?"

"Well, don't you end up doing more than them, in the end?" she eyed his reflection in the mirror hanging in front of the sink skeptically.

"It's never seemed so to me. But maybe now that you're here, you could help me out. I'd be happy to have your assistance," he replied breezily.

"Oh, sure. I can help. I mean, I did my own laundry for years, didn't I? I've also gotten quite good at patching up clothes, if that helps. I'm a pretty useless cook, though."

"That's fine; we don't do much cooking anyway," he replied. "Here, I think I've gotten it clean." He held the shirt up to the light. The stain was gone and the wrinkles that Mei had made trying to get it out had melted away. Hakkai hung the shirt over the top of the door to the bathroom, pulling it down to be within Mei's reach. "You should get packed up now, because after we get breakfast we're leaving."

"Already?"

Hakkai paused on his way out the door. "Well, it would seem that we're no longer safe here. Just come find us when you're ready." Mei nodded, and he left.

Sighing for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day, Mei opened the top dresser drawer and began to take out her clothing and set it away in her suitcase. Were they going to be moving every day?


	6. Chapter Six

I just realized that I've been selectively italicizing foreign words. For instance, I put the word "onii-chan" in italics the first chapter, but I haven't been doing it for the word "youkai". Even though I should technically be italicizing any Japanese word, I'm just going to leave "youkai" alone because it shows up so much. Besides, I know you all know what it means.

**Chapter Six: In which they fight**

The rest of the day passed peacefully. They set out for the next town, which they would, with any luck, reach by the end of the day. Because they had left the town before so quickly, they had neglected to restock their food and supplies, and so the mood in the car was tense as they sped through the desert toward the next civilized area. As the hours passed, the monotony of the day began to affect the passengers, until late afternoon brought rain.

At nearly five o'clock, ominous-looking clouds were gathering over the weary travelers, threatening to dump buckets of water on them and the road, which would make the going very difficult. Understandably, their rush to find the next town increased at the promise of a roof over their heads and a meal.

"Sanzo...I'm hungry...can't we eat dinner?" Goku asked, as his stomach gurgled in agreement.

"No. It's about to pour and we need to make it to the inn."

"But I'm so hungry."

Lightning flashed, followed swiftly by a clash of thunder, and then the rain began.

Sanzo glared moodily at the empty air in front of him. There was always some kind of roadblock put in front of them, whether it was the weather, or-

"Sanzo_-ikkou_!"

-youkai.

"Hand over they sutra and we may spare your lives!"

Shit.

Hakkai brought Hakuryuu to a halting stop.

"All right!" Goku exclaimed enthusiastically. "Let's beat these guys and then get to dinner! I'm starving. Come on, Mei!"

He glanced over at her. She was staring straight at the floor of the Jeep, not at the youkai. It was apparent by looking at her eyes that her mind was somewhere else.

He waved his hand in front of her face for a moment. Then he took one finger and poked her square in the forehead. She shrieked and jumped back in the seat, hitting her head against the back of the Jeep. Rubbing it furious, she started to ask "What the hell was that fo—" but was cut off by the sight of youkai gathering around the car. Reaching her hand down to her ankle, she grabbed her knife off her ankle and held it close to her side.

Goku charged out of the car and into the crowd of youkai, knocking them down as he went, leaving a wave of damage behind. One of the youkai charged the car and Mei, acting out of reflexive self-defense, buried her knife deep in his shoulder. He keeled over a split second later, and this time she held onto the hilt and pulled the knife out as the youkai went down.

Rubbing her head where she'd hit it, she slid out of the car. The other members of the group were nowhere to be seen, but she could see flashes of light, hear gunshots and see weapons swinging through the air on occasion. She swiped her knife back and forth, careful to cut deep enough to hit blood vessels – a poison knife was no good if the poison never made it to the bloodstream. Youkai were falling before her, albeit at a much slower pace than before any of the other team members. She was tiring out fast, and she backed up against the side of the Jeep for support as enemy after enemy came rushing at her. Fortunately, their numbers were dwindling fast, and as the rest were wiped out, the other members of the team began taking out the youkai heading for the car.

The last one fell, and Mei sank down against the side of the car, holding herself up with shaking elbows and breathing heavily. "My knife…was not meant…to fight…that many…at once," she gasped out.

As the rest of the team climbed back into the Jeep (Goku pulling Mei in, because her legs were shaking too much to make the leap into the back seat) the rain began to ease up. Gojyo began wringing the water out of his hair in annoyance, and Hakkai hit the accelerator again causing them to set off at full speed toward the next town. Mei tilted her head back and closed her eyes, letting the remains of the water pouring down wash off her face.

The inn, when they finally reached it, was another disaster. There was one room vacant, and it was meant for a single person. This meant that the five of them would have to make do with one bed. As they climbed the stairs, each was dreaming of the comforts of warm blankets and a soft mattress – until they saw the room.

There was one twin-sized bed sitting in the corner, along with a small bedside table, a lamp, and a dresser. The party stared at the room, particularly the bed, in shock, watching their dreams of a cozy night evaporate like the rain off the streets of the desert town.

"I want the bed!" Goku exclaimed loudly.

"No way, you stupid ape!" Gojyo cut in. "I'm not sleeping between a bunch of guys on the floor. Unless, of course, Mei –"

"Not a chance."

"Damn, you could've at least let me finish."

"I already knew what you were going to say, and the answer is no," she shot back.

"Shut up!" Sanzo shouted, smacking both of them upside the head.

"Whatever you say, oh holy one." she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "But if you don't mind, I feel like I've been hit in the head enough times for one day, so if you would kindly refrain from doing so from this point on…" Sanzo ignored her, and Hakkai cut in.

"Now, now..how about we play a game or something of the sort, to decide who gets the bed?" Hakkai asked.

"No way, Hakkai, you know you always win at those!"

Hakkai didn't respond. It was the truth.

"I'm sleeping on the bed," Sanzo declared.

"You gave you the authority to say that, _Sanzo-sama_?" Gojyo jeered.

"In case you're forgotten, you idiot, I'm the leader of this expedition, and you answer to _me_."

"That doesn't mean-"

"Okay you guys, SHUT UP." Mei roared. The room fell silent

"Yikes." Goku said, staring at her.

She continued, ranting "Just figure out some arrangement. I don't really see why it matters. I'll sleep on the floor since all of you seem to want to bed so damn bad." With that she dumped a blanket and a pillow on the floor and crawled into her self-made bed. Hakkai, seeing her logic, settled himself down on the floor as well, not wanting to get drawn into an argument at the end of what had already been a very, very long day.

The other three continued to glare at each other, until Goku piped up

"I claimed it first!"

"You're already spoiled, you stupid monkey!" Gojyo said.

"I am not a monkey!"

"Oh, so you agree that you're stupid!"

"Damn _kappa_!" Goku screeched.

"Will you guys be quiet, I'm trying to fucking _sleep_ here!" Mei snarled.

"Alright, fine!"

While Gojyo and Goku quibbled, Sanzo had sat on the bed. Gojyo tried to tell him to get off but was met with the barrel of a gun, which was a gentle hint for him to back off. He and Goku slept on the floor that night.

_The next morning_

Sanzo had once again been saddled with the task of waking Mei for the morning. The others had woken up early and headed downstairs in search of food without waking him. Sanzo stood on the blanket covered floor, staring down at the girl.

He nudged her with his foot, and got no response. So, he bent down and grabbed the blanket off her. She didn't move, and her breathing remained steady and slow. He nudged her with his foot again, less gently this time. Then he tried once again, even more roughly.

Goku bounded into the room, saying "Hey, Sanzo, is she up yet, because breakfast is ready and Hakkai wants everyone down there before we eat, or at least before we finish –" he bent down and poked at Mei, who was still laying in the same position as she had been before. He pushed her harder, and she moved with his hand, but fell back into her original position when he let go.

"Mei. Me-i. Mei!" he called. He pulled her eyelid open, and she jumped up and back.

"What the – Goku, what are you _doing?_" she demanded.

"Well, you wouldn't wake up, so I –"

She waved it off. "Oh, I get it. Okay. Why don't you head down for breakfast, and I'll meet you there in a couple minutes."

"Right!" He bounded off again, needing no encouragement to find food. Sanzo was still standing a few feet away, looking at her skeptically. She motioned for him to head downstairs.

"Go ahead. Like I said, I'll be down. I'm just a really heavy sleeper, that's all" she assured him. "Now, go on. I don't want you watching me dress." She winked conspiratorially and he immediately felt uncomfortable. Before she could see the odd expression that had crossed his face, he swept out of the room and down the stairs, where the rest of the group was waiting.

Mei watched him go, then slowly stood up, feeling her muscles protest being used after the previous day's exertion. Reaching over to her suitcase, she fished out a nice collared shirt and a knee-length skirt to wear. As she dressed, she probed her torso to find sore spots and check for any open cuts. Satisfied that she'd live to see another day, she locked the door behind her on the way out and swayed down the stairs to meet the group for breakfast, humming tunelessly.


	7. Chapter Seven

This is the first chapter I have written from complete scratch for this story in five years. As you can see, the mood will change a bit. There's a lot more drama, and a lot more thinking and description. Let me know how you like it by leaving a review!

**Chapter 7: In which a problem presents itself**

The next few weeks were a blur to Mei. She spent her days in varying degrees of soreness after attacks, though the rest of the group had learned not to leave her on her own in an onslaught. She still killed more than her fair share, all things considered. Being the only relatively normal one amongst a group of disturbingly powerful individuals had its upsides and its downsides. They were all inhumanly tough. Three youkai – though neither she nor they had said anything, she knew that this was what they were – and Sanzo. He surprised her most of all. After all, he was still human, but he went up against the attacking hordes the same as the rest of them, while she, constantly overwhelmed by the seeming lightning-fast speed of the youkai, lived from one minute to the next during these attacks, not so much thinking about attack patterns as fighting blindly for that next minute of life. It didn't seem normal that he could fight them this easily; it seemed like there was some other power at work.

She still couldn't get used to the frequent attacks, and as a result she had become skittish and frequently started away from things she saw from the corners of her eyes. This habit, along with her tendency to get lost in space frequently, earned her the teasing nickname "hare-brain" by Gojyo. He figured out within a few days that, despite her being a female presence within the group, there was no chance of scoring with her. So, while the nickname was misused, it stuck. Though there was occasionally some grumbling over room accommodations with the addition of a fifth member, particularly at inns with only one or two rooms left, they got along fine.

It wasn't the regular teasing or even the constant soreness that she minded, but as they passed from town to town and lived through attacks, she noticed her poison supply dwindling. It was the poison that she coated her knife with after each fight, and without it her one defense would be useless. She didn't expect to be able to take on a youkai with only a knife. The poison, as soon as it hit their blood, killed them almost instantaneously, which allowed her to slash at them recklessly. It would take care of the rest. When it ran out, she'd be left with what was, in her hands, basically a tool for causing some minor discomfort to an attacker. She could make them bleed a little bit, but what would happen when they got over the shock of the scrape she gave them and dug their claws into her again? She didn't think she'd be as lucky as she had been ten years ago.

This was what was occupying her thoughts as she swung the near empty flask and watched the liquid ooze back and forth. Her supply had dwindled to maybe a few milliliters at most, maybe enough for the next day or two at the rate things seemed to be going. It was bad enough that she had to be sticking her knife into a canteen every minute or so during a battle to recoat the blade, but when she ran out she'd be a sitting duck, and it wouldn't take the youkai long to figure that out.

"This is bad…" she muttered to herself. "This is very, very bad."

Setting the flask down on the bedside table, she lay sideways across the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She wasn't sure how she was going to bring up this subject with the rest of the group. These weren't exactly ingredients that grew in every housewife's garden across Shangri-la. One of the more important components was sap from a tree that only grew on one mountain – a mountain that they had probably left behind months ago. This hadn't been a problem when she had been working as a waitress in a small village. She hadn't expected to be using the poison or the knife very often. Usually, when youkai had come through, she had hidden in a closet until they had passed by. Only once or twice had she needed to defend herself against one or two rogues who had broken away from the group to ransack her house. The knife served its purpose for that.

What it all came down to was finding a new source or ingredients or a new poison. Mei was not a chemist – she hadn't come up with the formula. She had bought the information from an old man going from town to town back when she had been living farther east. She had painstakingly collected the ingredients then tried it out on the first animal she had come across. It had been a raccoon, and though it hadn't originally been her plan to test the poison on an innocent animal, the thing had attacked her first. She had swiped at it with a knife she had just purchased and run through the still dense concoction; it had dropped dead the moment the knife pierced it. '_Some poison',_ she had thought, before carefully wrapping the knife in a handkerchief and running home. This new stuff scared her. What would happen if she accidentally cut herself? There was no antidote that she knew of, and even if there was there wouldn't be time to administer it at the rate the venom acted. But despite this worry, she felt safer with it in her possession. She'd just have to learn to be careful with it. No slip-ups with this stuff; there was no room for clumsiness.

This whole risk would've been unnecessary without the menace of the youkai. She had held a deep distrust of them since the attack ten years ago. Of course the other members of the team – with the possible exception of Goku – could tell that she had a hard time adjusting to thinking of them as her allies. It was Hakkai who had broken that barrier at first. When he had helped her to wash her shirt, she found she could see past the suspicion that the cuffs on his ear had instilled in her when she had first noticed them. She had been hesitant to allow him near enough to her when she had first needed healing, but as he had stood in her room washing her shirt off in the pink-stained water she experienced a flash of affection for him. He reminded her of her _onii-chan_ – always caring for others.

It was impossible to hold anything against Goku. He seemed like the real hare-brained one, always bounding into situations without seeming to think first. It hadn't looked like there was much going on below the surface in him, but occasionally she caught him staring at Sanzo with an almost worshipful look on his face. It was obvious that the boy thought the world of his companion – and Mei could relate.

Gojyo, despite his exterior meanness and misogyny, had saved her ass more than a handful of times during attacks. For this she owed him, if not necessarily her affection, at least her respect. And he had done nothing to make her distrust him personally, as all of his sexually harassing comments had been compliments in disguise – or so she preferred to think. She was willing to overlook his constant teasing, chalking it up as a guy thing. The guys in the village had had all sorts of strange nicknames for each other, and if it meant that she was accepted as part of the group, then she was willing to put up with it.

She brought her attention back to the matter at hand. They were in the middle of nowhere, in an inn in some town even tinier than the one she'd abandoned at Sanzo's demand. They were being pursued by youkai everywhere they went – she still wasn't certain why, but it seemed to have something to do with the scripture Sanzo now carried around his shoulder. That had been the "it" that youkai who had attacked her weeks before had been referring to, she guessed.

This wouldn't have been half so worrisome if she weren't 1) a meager, comparatively slow human and 2) nearly out of the only substance that had kept her alive thus far. And she couldn't for the life of her think of what she was going to do next about this pressing problem. Once the poison ran out she'd have to think of something else. Unfortunately, even if she managed to get ahold of some powerful weapon, the chances of her being able to master it in the space of a day or two were slim. It was infinitely better to stick to what she knew. But _how_? She squeezed her eyes shut as her mind made the same loop in logic again, landing on the same conclusion.

She heard a soft knock on the door, and a moment later it opened, revealing Hakkai standing in the doorway.

"We're going down to dinner," he told her.

"Okay. I'll meet you there in a minute. I've gotta get changed first," she replied, not moving. Her arms and legs dangled over the side edges of the bed in an awkward stretch. Hakkai closed the door part way then paused.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

"Yep. Everything's great. I'm just enjoying the comfortable bed," she fibbed, bouncing up and down a bit on the rock-hard mattress for emphasis. "Feels great."

"We'll be down in the restaurant when you're ready," Hakkai said. "I'll try to keep Goku from eating your share before you get there." He smiled and closed the door. Mei stayed frozen for a moment, letting all the blood rush to her head, before pulling her legs up and pressing her palms down over her eyes.

"God, he's perceptive."

Descending the stairs, Mei twirled her key around her pointer finger. On it was her house key, the spare house key that she had taken from Sanzo, and a tiny container containing no more than a milliliter of the same poison she used to coat her knife, mixed with water. It wasn't for a last-ditch attempt at weaponizing her otherwise useless blade, but rather something for herself if something should happen. She would infinitely prefer to find out firsthand the effects of swallowing the poison meant to be sent through blood than be gutted and who knew what else by a youkai.

That was hardly something she wanted to be thinking about as she headed down for dinner. There was no use worrying about these things right now. Besides, even if something should happen and she should lose her only weapon, wasn't she surrounded by four handsome and very powerful boys who had proven more than once that they were capable of handling the threat the youkai posed. She smiled at the thought. _'No, I don't have anything to worry about.'_

That's all for this chapter. Not much happens, but a lot is explained. There's a slight POV shift, but hopefully nothing too obvious – it is still in 3rd person, technically.

I have the next chapter already written, but the more people review the faster it'll get posted!


	8. Chapter Eight

Well, even though I didn't get any reviews for last chapter (or for anything, for that matter,) I'm posting this. I've got the chapter after this done, with only a bit of re-wording needed. So, once again, if you review, I'll go faster! Plus, I'd love to know what you think. This chapter isn't super long, but the next one's longer.

**Chapter Eight: In which they are sucked under**

That night, despite an unusually filling meal and several rousing games, Mei lay awake long past midnight. She could hear Goku's snores through the paper-thin walls of the inn. It was a real high-class joint. She was just grateful that Gojyo hadn't chosen tonight for another one of his "conquests".

Moonlight streamed in through a small cracked window high above the bed, along with a welcome chilling breeze. After the incessant heat of the day, Mei felt like that breeze was the best thing that had happened to her all day. The light of the moon had traveled from one side of the room to the other, and yet she was still lying awake on top of the blanket that barely covered the lumpy mattress of the bed. It was too warm in the room to even consider sleeping under the blanket, but all the same she felt exposed lying on top of the bedding in her undergarments. She hadn't brought any pajamas, and so any time that she ended up crammed in the same room as any of the guys she either slept in her daytime clothes or waited until all four were asleep to slip off her jeans and lay them off to the side where she could put them back on in the morning without anyone noticing. It was the little things like this that made her feel excluded, even though no one in the group was making her do them. Every time she had to go out of her way to preserve her modesty, she felt disconnected from the group of men who could hang out in as little clothing as they wanted.

She turned over on her side. Nights were the worst. During the daytime she was always around the others. She had gotten used to it. At night, when she was by herself, she started thinking. Especially about things that she didn't want to think about. They just crept into her mind. This sleeplessness wasn't new; she had been getting less and less sleep the longer the journey continued. There was no way this pattern could hold out, though, she figured. She'd eventually get so tired that she'd just fall asleep in spite of it all. That moment had to be getting close. She looked forward to it.

Flipping back over onto her back, she folded her hands across her chest, pulled her feet together, and closed her eyes. She was just going to lie here until she fell asleep, no matter how long that took.

Not more than two or three hours later, light began to creep into the room. A banging started coming from the next room over. Presumably, Goku had woken up and realized he was hungry, and Gojyo was trying to beat him into the floor for waking _him_ up. Mei's eyes fluttered open. She wasn't sure if she had been asleep for the past few hours, but the time had seemed to pass more quickly than usual. She stretched, and her muscles ached a little less than they had the day before. That was a good sign, especially considering the bed she had just spent the night on. The floor probably would've been more comfortable.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and headed over to the mirror and sink across the room. Splashing some water across her face, she rubbed at the circles that had been growing under her eyes. If there had been any chance that she could pretend that nothing was wrong before, it was gone now. She looked a wreck.

An idea occurred to her, and she reached into her bag, rummaging around until she found what she was looking for: a tiny tube of make-up. She patted it around her eyes, over the swelling. She inspected the result in the mirror. Much better. After throw on some clean clothes, she sat down on the edge of the bed with a book that had been lying on the table. It would be a few minutes before someone came and to get her for breakfast.

An hour and a half later, they were out on the open road again. Goku was leaning back against the seat with his hands on his stomach. Gojyo was leaning, bored, against the side of the Jeep and staring off into the distance. Mei, who had gotten the seat to the very left for the day, was leaning against the metal side with her head lolling to the side against her crossed arms. She was on the verge of slipping into a blissful sleep when sand erupted around all sides of the car. She jerked up, blinking rapidly, while the other occupants of the car were scanning the area around them. The sand, once it settled, was calm again, and so they drove on. Three hours later, as they were nearing stopping for lunch, the same phenomenon occurred.

Hakkai parked the Jeep and he, Goku and Gojyo got out of the Jeep and began walking around the perimeter, looking for the source of the disturbance. Sanzo was reading a newspaper and paying no attention. Goku stopped about ten feet from the edge of the car and said "I don't see anything. Why don't we just keep going for a few minutes and then stop for lunch. I'm so hungr—"

As he was about to utter the last syllable there was another explosion, and he was pulled down into the sand so quickly the others almost missed it.

"What the –" Gojyo started, before he and Hakkai were also pulled under. There was a long pause in which Sanzo stuffed his newspaper down by his feet and peered carefully over the side of the Jeep. The ground was still and undisturbed. Another moment passed in which the two only occupants looked at the surrounding area and then at each other, and then the ground underneath the car began to shake. The wheels began sinking into the sand, followed by the frame of the car. Mei panicked and started scrambling for the highest part of the car while Sanzo, looking almost resigned, sat where he was and leaned his head forward, muttering some choice words under his breath. Within seconds, the Jeep had been entirely swallowed up, and they were falling fast, somewhere beneath the ground.

A few seconds later they hit the ground with a thud, and were jolted against the Jeep. Mei hit her arm hard on the side of the frame and cried out, while Sanzo was slammed sideways into the door. The other three were lying several feet away, stirring slightly as if in shock. Goku was the first to recover, and he shook sand out of his hair and stood up, tilting his head to the side as sand poured out of his ear. Then, he asked the question that everyone had been wondering.

"Where are we?"

The sound echoed throughout the vast room. As the five looked up, they saw that the ceiling of this enormous chamber was the same color and consistency as the desert sand. The floor they were sitting on was stone, spongy with thin plant growth with lines barely visible beneath the foliage. Water was trickling somewhere in the distance.

Mei was so focused on this sound of trickling water that when a voice rang out a moment later, she jumped into the air and landed painfully a second time against the frame of the Jeep.

"Welcome, Sanzo-_ikkou,_" a rich, feminine voice said. "I've been waiting for you."

Review, please?


	9. Chapter Nine

Thank you to my one reviewer.

I've only got one chapter written after this, and it needs some heavy revision…just so you all know. But you know what will make me hurry it up.

**Chapter Nine: In which they escape**

The voice echoed through the hall, magnified by the high stone walls. Standing far from them, framed by an arched doorway, stood a figure clad in a pale purple robe. She had long, blue-white locks and deeply tanned skin. Her eyes, a pale indiscernible color, stood out harshly in contrast to her skin. Mei slid slowly over the side of the Jeep to get a better look.

For a moment none of them responded. Then, always the leader, Sanzo, who had climbed out of the Jeep as well, growled out "What do you want?"

The lady-youkai (for Mei could now see clearly her telltale pointed ears) pressed a hand against her chest, feigning heartbreak. "Want? Sir, you would do me wrong to assume that I have brought you here simply because I want something from you." She dropped her hand. "However, I'd be perfectly willing to take that sutra from you, if you please." She grinned, a chilling sight when they caught a look at her fangs, which once exposed seemed to dip down past her bottom lip. Her teeth were dazzlingly white.

The sound of trickling water was overrun by a hissing noise. It sounded as though the water had sped up, but there wasn't a drop in sight.

Suddenly, Goku hollered and jumped a few feet in the air. "What the _hell_ was that?"

As they looked down, the vines on the floor appeared to be moving. They first glimpsed one of the vines lift its head and stick out a forked tongue, hissing viciously at the group. The she-youkai in the doorway cackled.

"Be careful, Sanzo-_ikkou_. Some of them are venomous. You'll figure out which are soon enough. I'll let them take care of you before I retrieve the sutra. Ta-ta!" She swept out the door, leaving the group stranded in what was quite literally a pit of snakes.

" 'Ta-ta!'" Gojyo mimicked in falsetto. "Fuck! It had to be one of those bitches who leaves their minions to do the dirty work. And why did it have to be _snakes_?" He flung a green one off his boot and stabbed another with the end of his _shakujou_. "I hate snakes."

Goku felt a pinch on his toe through his shoe and shook his foot wildly, throwing an emerald-colored snake high into the air. "Geez! Let's get rid of these things fast so we can get out of here! This place gives me the creeps."

"Remember to be careful. She said that some of them are venomous," Hakkai reminded them. "Try to avoid being bitten, if at all possible."

"We'll head for the door and follow that bitch. Then, we can force her to tell us how to get out of this place. If she doesn't cooperate, we kill her then find our own way out. Got it?" Sanzo ordered. There was a murmur of assent from the other four, broken by a shriek from Mei. A black snake was crawling up her thigh under the hem of her skirt. She grabbed her knife from the elastic band holding it to her leg and beheaded the snake in one slice.

"...bastard scared me," she commented, brushing off her leg and re-sheathing the knife before heading for the door, brushing an imagined pest off of the hem of her skirt. "Are you guys coming or what? I really wanna get out of this place; I'm getting claustrophobic." She stomped off toward the door, purposely stepping on as many snake heads as possible. Sanzo pushed ahead of her and the group followed.

The rest of the underground system seemed to be made up of many tunnels. There were branches every so often, but they followed the main tunnel, which had the footsteps the she-youkai had branded temporarily into the dirt as she had fled.

Along the way, Goku complained. "This seems like it's been too easy. I mean, all we had to do was step on a few snakes and then follow these footprints?"

"Shut up, monkey," Gojyo snapped. "You'll jinx us with talk like that. I just wanna get out of this place before we get attacked by a bunch of snakes again. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if there's something waiting for us at the end of this tunnel."

"Now who's jinxing us?" Goku snapped back then was silent. The light in the tunnel was becoming brighter. Something was up ahead.

Without warning, the group burst into another chamber, this one maybe half the size of the first, but by no means small. Sitting at the other end on a dais was the she-youkai. She was twirling her hair idly, and glanced up in surprise as the five entered the room.

"Well, well!" she huffed. "I see my sons and daughters have failed to subdue you. What a shame, I really didn't want to have to do it myself."

Goku laughed cockily. "Well, yeah!" he said a little more loudly than was necessary, given the echo of the room. "Did you seriously think a couple of snakes were going to stop us?"

"Yeah, I'm a little insulted," Gojyo added, twirling his weapon.

The youkai at the end of the room looked at them pensively over folded hands. The moment stretched on for a moment before there was a loud bang and she disappeared from her throne in a puff of smoke. The group collectively jumped and silence descended upon them again. Just as they were about to turn back and try to figure out which tunnel led up and out, a rumbling came from the ceiling above them.

The ceiling of this room was not sand like that of the other chamber. It was instead made of a smooth, polished grey stone with some kind of indiscernible pattern etched into it. The rumbling continued, growing in volume and shaking the ceiling. The lighting of the room grew dim as the fires around were snuffed out by an unseen wind. They were left in pitch blackness.

"Guys…" Goku started. He never had a chance to finish his thought, as out of the blackness a giant head roughly the size of the Jeep burst out the darkness and knocked him into the wall. He thudded against the stonework and slid down to the ground. Coughing a few times, he shook his head as if to clear it, and when he looked up again he was smiling. "That's more like it."

The giant head reared out of the darkness once again, aiming for Sanzo. Hakkai shot a blast of chi at it before it had time to hit the comparatively fragile man. The blast temporarily lit up the room, and they saw clearly the figure of a giant snake, white in color with blue eyes. It lunged again at the group, this time aiming at Hakkai, angry at him for exposing it. He jumped out of the way and sent another blast of chi at it. It seemed to have no effect on the snake, merely deflecting off of the scales.

"Everyone? I think now would be a good time to find out way out," Hakkai said, holding up a thick barrier against the giant creature, which was even now smashing up against it, trying to reach the group. The other four needed no more encouragement, and in a moment they had turned tail and fled through the tunnel from which they had emerged, Hakkai following close behind.

"Which way are we going?" Gojyo yelled. The group was running blindly, because behind them they could hear the sounds of the giant snake slithering through the tunnels after them. The floor of the tunnel was pitted and they stumbled several times as they ran.

"Up! Whichever way is up!" Sanzo shouted, making a sharp left into a slightly narrower tunnel which curved slightly upward. The rumbling of the snake continued behind them, and there was no mistaking the increase in volume: it was getting closer. The tunnel began to curve upward more sharply now, and they could begin to make out a faint light. It seemed an infinity away as the creature gained on them. When they did at last burst through the opening, they found themselves blessedly in the desert. Hakuryuu, who had broken through the ceiling of the main chamber, was sitting in Jeep form several hundred feet away.

Seconds after they had surfaced, the snake burst out of the ground behind them. In the full daylight they could see that it was enormous. It opened its mouth to reveal fangs and a long forked tongue. It once again lunged for the group, but in the daylight its movements were sloppy and uncoordinated. It couldn't see in the harsh light of day, and so it was depending on its sense of smell. It missed Mei by several feet, crashing to the ground vulnerably, where Gojyo and Goku both smashed at it with their weapons. Unfortunately, like they had below ground, the snake's scales proved impenetrable. It wasn't until it pulled itself back up off the ground that an opportunity presented itself to the group.

As the snake reared back again, Hakkai cried out "Its mouth!" and the four male members of the group aimed their individual attacks at the creature's soft mouth. The combination of all four weapons proved to be too much for their opponent, and it crashed down to the ground. It twitched several times. Blood poured out of a hole in the roof of its mouth.

"Well, that was disappointing," Goku remarked.

"I hate to say, it but, I agree with you," Gojyo agreed. "So much for the jinx."

The four original members of the group began heading back to the Jeep, but Mei stayed behind. Approaching the monster, which was lying on the ground with its mouth open, she drew her blade and stuck it into the creature's gums above one of the long, pointed fangs. She sawed at the area of above the tooth, ignoring the snake's increasingly pitiful hisses and the squirts of blood until the fang came off in her hand. It was as long and as thin as her entire arm, and the tip was as sharp as a razorblade. She held it a careful distance from herself as she joined the group at the car. Depositing it on the floor of the backseat she said simply "Careful not to touch the tip, guys." Gojyo stared at her, but Goku was holding his head. He moaned.

"Oh, I've got a _splitting_ headache. And I'm starving!" he whined.

"It's probably from the change of lighting, Goku," Hakkai said, turning the car on. "I'm sure you'll be fine in a moment." But Goku was leaning closer to Mei, whimpering. She pulled him against her and put her hand in his hair.

"Hush," she soothed, rubbing his head gently. "It's okay. Just close your eyes, it'll go away." She stopped running her hand through his hair abruptly as he fell against her and his weight knocked her into the metal side of the Jeep. "Goku?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

He didn't answer.

"Guys. I think something's wrong," she addressed the rest of them. Then, a thought came to her. She reached down and pulled off his boot. Uttering a small cry, she leaned back up. "He's been bitten."

"Drive fast, Hakkai," Sanzo growled. Hakkai obediently floored the accelerator and, ignoring the protests of the Jeep, they sped back toward the town they from which they had come. Now was no time to be looking for a new city that may or may not exist somewhere on the western horizon.

They reached the town a few hours later. Mei, in spite of her worry, had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Gojyo shook her awake and she sat up, disoriented.

"Come on, we have to get Goku to the town's doctor. Hurry up," he ordered, taking on Sanzo's bossy manner in his worry about his friend. Mei nodded wearily and slid over the side of the Jeep. When her feet hit the ground below, her knees buckled and she feel into the rough sand. She stared up at the sky, not quite processing what had just happened. The blood in her veins felt like it had turned to lead and she couldn't quite will her arms or legs to move. She commanded herself to move and, a few seconds later, she slid across the sand a few inches. Sanzo and Hakkai, carrying Goku, were already on their way down the street. Gojyo was following close behind them. They disappeared around a bend and she lost sight of them.

Mei turned her head slowly back skyward. _'This isn't so bad'_, she thought. Goku would get to a doctor and be fine, and the sand wasn't so uncomfortable. She'd wait here until they got back. It couldn't take long, and she was shaded by the car. In fact, it was nice and warm, even in the shadow of the Jeep. A bug crawled across her leg and she wiggled it slightly.

'_Damn bugs,' _she thought, and closed her eyes for a moment. As soon as she woke up, she'd have to squish that thing. She half wanted to get back in the Jeep and curl up in the night comfortable back seat, but the exhausted side of her mind won out.

A spot on her leg several inches above her knee throbbed. She stared at the contrast the car made against the clear blue sky. It was beautiful, the shine of the metal against the blue. But all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. She hadn't been getting enough sleep. That must've been what was slowing her down. She sure hoped Goku was okay. Snake bites could be serious.

Well, I had to leave a cliff-hanger.

Review?


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